While you'll probably never work on a project that carries with it the intensity or the singular ownership as your thesis, I think you'll find that any job worth having will require the constant management of deadlines and pressure. I work in a non-revenue generating area of a company that is constantly in "cost-cutting" mode. So while I may not be filling out grant applications and writing research papers I have to constantly demonstrate that the group I work in does things like "create value" and "enhances shareholder value". It's not my favorite aspect of my job, but it's certainly not the worst. Keeping it challenging is what it makes it so worthwhile.
Mikey, if you are figuring this out now, you are very lucky. Better to discover this now, rather than halfway through your second year in a PhD program. If you're genuinely serious about that last sentence you wrote, I would advise you to choose your electives with purpose. I'm not saying you need to drop everything and become a finance major, but take an intro course into computer science (if you don't already have a background in it) and accounting (same). With a decent GPA from Hopkins, a strong science background, and just a little bit of rounding out your skills, you can easily get a very good job with decent hours and pay (especially if you're not picky about where you want to live, like say Cleveland).

I don't know if I could handle the personality types in straight up finance, but I've been looking really hard at consulting. I had a phone interview with one firm, but have yet to hear back and applied to a couple others but haven't had a response. idk, i just want to find something i don't hate doing.

Since we're on a career/postgrad tangent right now, I'd like to take this time to say I've decided to take a year off and figure out what I actually want to do with my life and career, as well as build up my resume. Can't believe I'll have to move back to my shithole hometown that I vowed to leave forever, but that's life I guess.

Since we're on a career/postgrad tangent right now, I'd like to take this time to say I've decided to take a year off and figure out what I actually want to do with my life and career, as well as build up my resume. Can't believe I'll have to move back to my shithole hometown that I vowed to leave forever, but that's life I guess.

I did this and regret and dont regret it. It gave me strong direction in life, but put me behind in life compared to my peers. Whatever your career is remember junior internships are very important for senior job search. Try and find relevant work in your time off. Working really helps

I know it'll put me behind a year, and I really fucking hate that, but I think that if I can self structure enough that it'll really give me a direction and set of goals that are actually in tune with what I want to do and who I want to be. It's also a year for self improvement, where I intend to read a ton, watch a lot of great films, get in incredible shape etc etc